Everything Everywhere Daily · Monday, August 31, 2026
Researchers discovered in 2016 that Dutch cruisers like the De Ruyter and Java, and the British HMS Exeter and HMS Encounter, were almost entirely dismantled after sinking in the 1942 Battle of the Java Sea. This looting of sunken warships has removed potential sources of low background steel.
“When researchers returned in 2016 to wreck from the 1942 Battle of the Java Sea, they discovered that the Dutch cruisers De Ruyter and Java had been almost entirely removed, while much of the destroyer Kortenaer was gone.”
“British wrecks suffered a similar fate. The HMS Exeter and HMS Encounter were found to have been almost entirely dismantled, while the HMS Thunderbolt was badly damaged.”